Stampa Internazionale

Daily Telegraph
SYDNEY, Tuesday, Aprii, 20, 1999
Paraplegics taught to walk again
By ALISTER McMILLAN

PARAPLEGICS are walking again, thanks to a new operation, a Sydney medicai conferente was told yesterday. Three formerly wheelchair-bound people are on their feet after having nerves from thefr arms "re-routed" into their legs. The three are learning to use their legs by telling the brain to move their arms. Dr Giorgio Brunelli told the world's largest congress of ortho-paedic surgeons that his patients could walk, swim and drive. Following 18 years' research, Dr Brunelli operated on his first patient, Angelo Colombo, 37, in 1996. Mr Colombo had been a paraplegic for flve years after falling 8m at a building site. Dr Brunelli transferred the ulner nerve from his arms and recon-nected it to the branches of the nerVoUs system in the gluteus muscles of the buttocks and the thigh's quadricep muscles. Mr Colombo trained the brain to move his legs by "thinking" of his arms. "Within three months the brain learns the lesson and it all be-comes semi-automatic — he does not have to think taboutl his arms," Dr Brunelli said. A year of therapy in gyms and pools brought Mr Colombo back on to his feet. He now steps with the aid of walking frame and drives a slightly modified car to his job as a clerk. He can walk about 70 steps at a time, but Dr Brunelli expec progress to continue. "It's rudimentary walking — il not perfect," he said. "But for him, a little is muc For him, it's very grand." The ulner is the most expendab of the arms' five nerves, controllir some sensation and flexion. The arms' motor skills are affected by the operation, bi some sensation is lost in the liti finger, Dr Brunelli claimed. Two more people have unde gone Dr Brunelli's surgery ar enjoyed similar progress. A fourt will have the operation ne: month in Brescia, northern Ital. After the operation, Dr Brune will organise an internation symposium on his spinal coi repair techniques.


SICOT 99 SYDNEY THE NEWS4APER OF THE SICOT 21st CONGRESS 1999
CONGRESS With-The Professiontal and the Healer Issues for the Next Millennium - Dr Richard Cruess
Cruess has spent bis academie career at McGill University and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Canada. From 1981 to 1995, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine computers, sport, teisure, art and travet. Dr Fpinette urged all delegates to sub-scribe to the site, arguing that it provides a ditta communication link for orthopaedic surgeons around the world, by-passing the standard communications via large centres such as the USA. AGORA is maintained by an Internation-al committee headed by Professor.
Professional medica! associations are perceived to be pulling in the opposite direction in try•ng to maìntain the status quo. At the levet of the individuai healer, most practitioners understand the duties.
Science only," he challenged. "1f you want to keep up with current practice techniques and opinion, attend annual review courses." "Join the Internet Society of Ortho-paedic Surgery and Trauma (ISOST). Use OrthoSearch, and spend Mx hours a week on the internet".
Paraplegia overcome urgeons in Italy have found a way to reinnervate the main muscles of the hip allowing patients with paraplegia to regain a degree of mobility. Professor Georgio Brunelli and Dr Giovanni Brunelli from Ome (Brescia), Italy elevated the ulnar nerve fmm upper limb while preserving its ori-gin at the bracial plexus and its vas celar supply above the elbow. Its branches to fiexor carpì ulnaris, to hypothenar and interossei, and to adductor pollicis aere connected to ' the nerves of glu-teus maximus. giuteus medius and cpiadriceps the Professor Georgio Brunelli.
Once Wailerian degeneration of the distai nerve was resolved, the first patient walked by voluntarily activating the mus-cles of the hip. Walking is elementary and the patient stili needs the assistance of light orthotic devices but the technique shows significane promise.
TUESDAX 20 APRII. 1999
Shock waves beat Epicondylitis

ateral humeral epicondylitis which has proved resistant to conservative treatment can be suppressed using low energy shock waves. Sergio Gigliotti and his collabora-tors from the Department of Orthopaedics, Federico II University tx)aC-UCa1t,,1lCU tu cttelotc cay, data collection. "It is very important for us to make the audit practically feasible," he said "Collecting data for SAHFE should be standard pan of maintaining medicai records, and of ordinary contact with patients." He suggested that the project may provide the basis for future treat mens guidelines. Professor Thorngren warned that hip fracture incidence is expected tc, increase in the near future due to popti lation aging. The highest rates would seen among communities in Asia and South America, he predicted. Velegates interested in partícipating in SAHFE ma), contaci Professor Thorngren for a regisiration forni and kit containing software and data collee-tion forms.
Changes to the Sdentific Program spnposturn RIR 4— Road Thatima /c'educaci:— Session One iiiesday 20th Apri! 1999 16:00 — 17:30 Dr Anice Browner— Chairman of SICOT trauma Committee will be presid-ino in lieti of Dr Charles Mercier-Guyon. svii:posi:4m 32 7bursday 22nd Aprii 1999 14:00— 15:30 MANAGEmavr OF BONE TUMOURS should appear in program under Tumors noi Trauma. The time and venne reti:anis unchanged. Symposium 44 Friday 23rd April 1999 1VIRAMEDULI2IRY FIXAT7ON should appear in the program under Trauma noi Tumours. The time and venne remains unchanged.

BERLINER MORGENPOST
Ber Silke Giersch inszeniert den liner Kunstherbst-San

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Den Nerv getroffen VI UN Giunsi wulu
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